In an effort to promote an eco-friendly environment, the Panamanian government has begun providing financial incentives to foreign investors interested in re-forested timber plantations.

Panama is demonstrating its resolve in the eco-arena by offering generous tax incentives as well visas for investors.

Panama is one of the few countries in the region able to sustain large scale teak growth. This very desirable wood product is treasured for it beauty and durability. Most wood fixtures and decks on maritime vessels are made from teak as its oily character makes it an excellent wood for use in high moisture environments.

Excited about its impact on pricing, real estate interests in Panama point to the market supportive nature of this initiative. When successfully implemented, this effort will boost both population and economic growth, both of which are beneficial to real estate pricing.

As world economies tighten, it is essential to consider the economic diversity of an area before deciding to invest in real estate there. With thriving sectors ranging from banking, to transpiration, and vast natural resources, no wonder Panama is called the Gem of Central America.

Obtaining a second passport in Panama is useful for those who wish to:

• Have a second home overseas in a tropical country where they can live at or visit.
• Have a “safe haven” to escape to in the event of war or any type of civil unrest that may threaten their family.
• Actually live in Panama permanently, perhaps after retirement.
• Relocate to a tropical, stable, safe country where it is very economical to live in comparison with most other developed countries such as the US, Canada, Europe, etc.
• Relocate to a more “tax friendly” country where foreign earned income, capital gains, and interest income is not taxed.
• Relocate to a country where frivolous lawsuits are not recognized by courts, and assets can be truly
• protected through a corporate shield, without the risks of “piercing the corporate veil”.
• Relocate to a country where one can begin business operations economically, and without heavy restrictions, regulations, or taxes that hinder the growth of the business.
• Relocate to a country where real estate is still affordable for purchasing homes in the city or land at the beaches, mountains, lakes, etc.
• Wish to purchase a yacht in Panama and have Panama be the “base” for the yacht while otherwise living aboard and sailing the yacht to wherever they desire. The purchase of the yacht in most instances would be sufficient to qualify for residency leading to citizenship.

Panama offers a multitude of programs enabling one to fairly easily obtain a Passport, Visa, Residency and Citizenship. Panama is an excellent place for a second passport (2nd passport). The plans are outlined below. Do feel free to ask questions. We do not advise attempting to deal with the immigration authorities without adequate legal representation by a competent attorney.

Warning: All of our passport programs require you to be physically present at the immigration department for fingerprinting and photographing. These are NOT the “Pay someone off in the dark” programs you see on the internet which do not require you to go to the country physically and come with a passport, identity card and driver’s license. There are numerous stories on the internet if you look for them of people getting arrested all over the world when they attempt to travel on these passports. What is often done is passport blanks that come back from the manufacturer slightly defective (bad printing, stitching etc.) are marked as not usable by the government and are then sold by unscrupulous immigration officials through third parties. The problem is when the country that issued those does an audit of their immigration department they pick these things up and then the passports are flagged as fraudulent or stolen and this is sitting in some unfortunate person’s wallet waiting to be used and can cause a police detention with likely arrest to follow. There was just a raid recently in Guyana and the corrupt immigration officials there were issuing hundreds of passports daily. Now along comes some guy who bought one of these “officially issued” passports and he goes through immigration in say the EU. Well he doesn’t appear to be a Guyana type so they query around a bit and he gets arrested. Months after the scandal we still see Guyana Passports being sold on the internet which makes one wonder. Read the rest of this entry →